Means for laterally bracing partially submerged erect structures



Se t. 15, 1959 w H. J. EN DEAN 2,903,856

MEANS F OR LATERAL-LY BRACING PARTIALLY SUBMERGED ERECT STRUCTURES FiledJune 29, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 FIG. 1'.

INVENTOR. iHOWARD J. 7; DEAN BY W ATTORNEY H. J. EN DEAN MEANS FORLATERALLY BRACING PARTIALLY .SUBMERGED ERECT STRUCTURES Filed June 29.1954 Sept. 15, 1959 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

B o i United States Patent MEANS FOR LATERALLY BRACING PARTIALLYSUBMERGED ERECT STRUCTURES Howard J. En Dean, Fox Chapel Borough, Pa.,assignor to Gulf Research & Development Company, Pittsburgh, Pa., acorporation of Delaware Application June 29, 1954, Serial No. 440,081

4 Claims. (Cl. 61-46) This invention relates to improvements in lateralbracing members for partially submerged, erect structures and to themethod of installing and anchoring the same. More particularly, thesubject device is adapted to the bracing of driven piles and the surfacepiping of wells in underwater locations, which structures are relativelyslender and often are subjected to strong forces of wave action, tidesand currents over their considerable submerged length.

The installation of a supporting framework to withstand these forcesordinarily requires the services of a diver, but where the brace pilingof the present invention is used, operations may be conducted entirelyfrom above the surface of the water, with minimum labor and expense.

In accordance with this invention, a number of bracing units are securedto the structure to be supported and are so arranged that they willproject angularly from it in various directions, each such unitcomprising several interfitting tubular members which, at installation,are initially in telescoped relation. These units are held at an angleto the pipe or other structure to which they are secured and areextended downwardly by pressure of fluent cement mixture which is forcedinto them. In being so extended, the lowermost section is driven intothe earth bottom. When the brace piling is thus fully extended, or whensuch a hard foundation is reached that the sections can be extended nofarther, an application of higher pressure causes the cement to open apassage, as by rupturing a seal in the internal passageway of the unitand thereupon to flow out around the foot of the terminal section andembed it. A somewhat lower pressure is then maintained on the column ofcement which fills the extended piling until it sets. Thus, there isprovided an encased, monolithic brace piling which extends from thesupported structure to the point of anchorage and is integrally bondedwith the embedded anchoring mass.

The invention is described in more detail hereinafter, with reference tothe accompanying drawings, in Which:

Figure 1 is a side view of the brace piling as installed, with thetelescoping members extended, only one of the bracing members beingshown in its entirety since the others are of similar construction.

Figure 2 is a detail view of one of the brace pilings, which is shownpartly in longitudinal section.

Figure 3 is a view similar to Figure 2, showing a modified form of theinvention in which a difierent leadin is provided for the cement hose.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, a yoke is clamped or weldedto the piling 11 or other erect structure at a desired height above thesea bottom which is indicated in Figure 1 of the drawings at 12. Theyoke is provided with spaced projecting ears 13 in which pins 14 arereceived for pivotally mounting the upper, closed ends of tubularmembers 15.

The lower end of each tubular member 15 is formed with an inwardlydirected flange 16 which closely emice braces a connected sectioncomprising a smaller diameter tubular member 17, the upper end of whichhas an out' turned flange 18 in sliding contact with the inner wall oftubular member 15.

A sealing gasket 19 within the lower end of tubular member 15 surroundsthe upper end of tubular member 17 and is compressed between the opposedflanges 16 and 18 when the members are extended.

The tubular member 17 is similarly formed with an inturned flange 20 atits lower end which embraces the smaller diameter terminal section 21with sliding fit and the member 21 has an out-turned flange 22 ridingincon-. tact with the inner wall of member 17. Here, also, a gasket isinterposed between the flanges 20 and 22, as

indicated at 23.

A disc 24 of a material which will rupture under pressure of asufliciently high value is mounted within the terminal member 21 toblock the passage therein. Also,

the terminal member 21 is provided with a solid point 25 to facilitateits penetration of the earth and is perforated adjacent its lower end,as at 26.

A cement hose 27 leads from a pump (not shown) to the interior of theupper tubular member 15, being secured to such member by a fitting 28.Well cementing apparatus may be employed for injecting the cement intothe brace piling units through such tubing.

If the structure to be supported is hollow, and if condi structure to besupported and the sections of the brace piling, in telescoped relation,are mounted on the yoke by pivot pins.

Positioning lines 31 which are attached to clamps 32 on the respectivetelescoped units are lowered to permit the units to drop to the properangular position. This and subsequent operations will be performed ontwo diametrically opposite braces simultaneously for balancing of thelateralloads during the positioning operation.

Cement is then pumped into the uppermost tubular section, its pressurecausing the telescoping sections to be extended downwardly and outwardlyto penetrate the sea bottom.

When the sections of thebracing ,piling are fully extended, increasedpressure on the column of fluent cement within them causes the sealinthe lowermost section to burst. The cement thereupon fills the lowertubular section and is forced out through the perforations in its wall,forming an enlarged mass in which thefoot of the extended bracing pilingis embedded.

Pressure on the column of cement is maintained at a reduced, equilibriumvalue until the cement sets. Thus, at completion the brace pilingcomprises an encased, monolithic element which extends from thesupported structure to the anchoring mass with which it is integrallybonded.

What I claim is:

1. Means for laterally bracing a structure, comprising initiallytelescoped tubular members adapted to be extended in use, means forsecuring the outermost of the initially telescoped members at one end tothe structure to be braced thereby, a tip on the end of the innermost ofsaid initially telescoped tubular members adapted to penetrate the earthwhen the members are extended from Conventional telescop'ed relation,said last named tubular member also having an opening leading to itsexterior, the outermost and innermost of the initially telescopedmembers respec'tively constituting the upper and lower terminal mem bers of'the extended bracing means, oppositely'extending' flangeson'contiguo'us ends of the several telescoping mem-' bers for limitingtheir extension, a conduit connecting with said outermost tubular memberthrough which a settable material is forced under pressure into saidmerriber's' to cause their" extension from telescoped'relation andthereby to penetrate the earth'adjacent the structure to be'braced, andsealing means located within the terminal thbular' member rearwardly ofthe aforesaid opening therein, said sealing rrieans being adapted to bedisplaced ypressure of the material after extension of said members" foropening a passage therein through which the matefial'flows andemergesfrom the aforesaid opening to embed the earth penetrating end of thebracing means.

2. Lateral bracing means for partially submerged piling and the likecomprising, in combination with a pile, circumferentially spaced bracingmembers secured thereas by pivoted fastening means at a distance aboveits ground engagement and adapted to be extended downwardly at an angleto the pile and to be anchored in the earth bottom, each said bracingmember being constituted of a plurality of telescoping tubular sections,interengaging flanges on'contiguous sections to limit their extensionfrom telescoped relation, means for fastening the assembled telescopedsections to the pile as a unit which when extended penetrates the earthbottom, the uppermost section being closed at its upper end and thelowermost section having an earth penetrating tip at its lower end, aconduit for a s'ettable material communicating with the tubular sectionsfor delivering the material thereto in fluid form, a displaceablebarrier in the lowermost tubular section against which pressure of thefluid material is exerted to extend the sections and cause said bracingmember in being so extended to penetrate the earth bottom, saidlowermost tubular section having an opening leading to the exteriorthereof and located below said barrier, said barrier being displaceableto permit the fluid material to flow out of the aforesaid opening andupon setting to embed and anchor the earth penetrating end of said unit.

3. Lateral bracing means for piling and like slender structures whichhave a considerable unsupported length, said bracing means comprising acollar adapted to be secured on the piling and formed with radial earsprojecting therefrom at spaced points on its circumference, tubularbracing members carrying pivot pins engaged with said ears to enable thebracing members to be positioned at a desired angularity to thestructure to be supported thereby, each said bracing member comprising anumber of interfitting tubular sections of progressively smallerdiameter adapted to be slidably extended from an initially *telescopedrelation, the upper terminal section being closed at its upper end andhaving an inturned flange at its open lower end, and the lower terminalsection having an outturned flange at its upper end, the sectionsintermediate the terminal sections of such member each having aninturned annular flange at one end embracing the outside of the nextadjacent section of smaller diameter and an outturned annular flange atits 4 opposite end fitting the inside ofthe next adjacent section oflarger diameter, a gasket carried by each section between its inturnedflange and the outturned flange of the adjacent smaller section forsealing the slip joint between sections, the upper terminal sectionhaving a closed end and a hose connection to a source of fluidearth-consolidating material under pressure, an earth penetrating tip onthe end of the lower terminal'sectio'n, said lower section being formedwith an opening leading to its exterior, and barrier means in the lowerterminal section located rearwardly of the opening therein anddisplaceable under pressure of the earth-consolidating material inexcess of that required to extend the bracing member and cause it topenetrate the earth, said lastnamed means when displaced permitting theearth-consolidating material to flow out of, and to form an em beddingmass around, the lower end of the bracing member.

4. Lateral bracing means for piling and like slender structures whichhave a considerable unsupported length, said bracing means comprising,in combination with a pile, circumferentially spaced bracing memberspivotally secured to the pile at a distance above its ground engagement,means for swinging said members about their pivotal connection with thepile and holding the same at a desired angular relation theretodiverging in downward direction, each member constituting a unitcomprised of a plurality of slidably interfitting tubular sections ofprogressively smaller diameter adapted to be installed on the pile intelescoped relation and thereafter extended to penetrate the earth, theupper terminal section being closed at its upper end and having at itslower end an inwardly directed flange defining an opening through whichthe next adjacent lower section is slidable for extension, an'outwardlydirected flange on the upper end of the said next adjacent lower sectionfor limiting extension of such adjacent lower section, the lowermostterminal section being formed with lateral openings to permit the flowof a settable material into the surrounding earth penetrated by thebracing means when the sections are extended under pressure of suchmaterial forced thereinto under pressure, and a diaphragm above thelateral openings in said smaller terminal section, said diaphragmblocking flow through the smaller tubular section to the lateralopenings therein but rupturable under pressure of the settable materialin excess of that required to extend the bracing member and to cause itspenetration of the earth.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS1,117,075 McKown Nov. 10, 1914 1,165,459 Sprague Dec. 28, 1915 1,794,892Goldsborough Mar. 3, 1931 1,900,622 Tada Mar. 7, 1933 2,326,353 GrossAug. 10, 1943 2,403,643 Dresser July 9, 1946 2,440,921 Stephens May 4,1948 2,775,095 Harris Dec. 25, 1956 FOREIGN PATENTS 573,415 France 1924

